


The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

by QueenRiley



Category: Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 15:11:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1121333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenRiley/pseuds/QueenRiley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rocky doesn't know what he wants to do with the rest of his life. Then he meets Justin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rivulet027](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/gifts).



> I apologize if the timeline is a little off from the show. I meshed it as well as I could, but it's been awhile since I watched either Zeo or the Turbo movie. This is how it works in my head, anyway.

Rocky was getting really tired of people asking about his future. His mother had been bugging him for months. His friends kept talking about their “work experience” and shadowing they planned to do. His teachers kept trying to send him to the guidance counselor for career training. Except Rocky didn't want to go. Rocky didn't want to decide his entire future yet. He was only 17! It was far too young an age to have the rest of his life planned out. On top of it, he was a Power Ranger. He wasn't even sure he HAD a rest of his life to plan.

But the time came and his homeroom teacher made him. Mrs. Appleby handed him a pass and had Tanya march him straight to the guidance counselor. And so he sat, the clock ticking the minutes by, staring at the walls covered in motivational posters. He really liked the kitten that was falling off the ledge that said “Hang in there”. Well, it made more sense than the philosophical chimpanzee wearing glasses, anyway.

“Rocky, do you have a plan for your future? You haven’t applied to any colleges. You haven’t done any career shadowing. You haven’t even had a clear track for your classes. What is it you want to do with your life?” He listened to the clock tick for another full minute, then sighed.

“I don’t know. I like helping people, I guess,” he said. The counselor frowned, but then rummaged through some papers in the back of the bottom drawer of his desk.

“I have some volunteer opportunities you can try. Maybe you’ll find your calling in one of them. I want you back in here by the end of next month with a game plan for college, if nothing else.” Rocky took the papers, shoved them in his backpack, and practically ran from the office. He felt like he was drowning.

\-------------------

He gave them a real, honest try. All of them. He’d called every number on every paper he’d been handed. None of them were right. The vet’s office had been a bust. He’d left in tears. He’d never seen so many papercuts after his afternoon at the lawyer’s office. The financial adviser had left him feeling morally bankrupt. Far from helping people, he felt more like a thief. He’d even filed papers at the police headquarters and all that did was make him disparage for the future of humanity. He was on the last paper, the last place that was willing to give him a volunteer spot for an afternoon.

Rocky stood outside Little Angels Haven. It was an old house, creaky at the seams and falling apart just a little, but it seemed like a happy place, bright and cheerful. There were toys all over the front yard, faded from sun and obviously old but well loved, and he could hear kids laughing inside. His own family could have been living in a place like this. But these kids didn't have any families, not anymore. Not really. Not ones who could take care of them, anyway. If they did, they wouldn't be living here.

The lady on the phone hadn't given him much information, just an address and an ominous “Come with love and able hands. We’ll make use of you.” He took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. He didn't know what he would be doing, but he already felt right at home.

Four hours later, he left feeling happier than he’d felt in a very long time. He’d spent the day fixing things around the house. There was so much more that needed to be done but no money to buy supplies. He might be able to scrounge some up on his own and he was already forming a plan to start a fundraiser for more. All those years listening to Aisha had finally rubbed off on him. He hoped, wherever she was now, she’d be proud of him.

The best part of the day had been sitting with the kids. He read to the little ones. He played three rounds of Clue with the bigger kids. The time flew and really he felt like all he’d done was spend the afternoon playing. He told the director he’d be back Friday afternoon. He walked home on clouds as the stars lit the night sky, one by one.

\-------------------------------------

Rocky spent all Friday afternoon at the makeshift orphanage. He stayed well past bedtime, helping Mrs. O’Reilly and the rest of the volunteers get the babies changed and to bed, get the little ones settled, and make sure the big kids were well on their way to sleep. He patched a hole in a wall. He fixed a leaky faucet. He organized books, taping what he could, setting aside what he couldn't in the hopes of finding somebody who could. He picked up toys and folded laundry. 

He came over all weekend as well. He got to know the kids. He listened to their stories, those that felt like talking, and his heart broke with each and every one. There was one boy that he hadn't noticed at first. He was quiet, spent all his time with the books, and didn't seem to interact with the others. Rocky tried to get him outside to play football in the backyard, but he wouldn't budge. Rocky tried to get him to join them in a game of Risk, and he seemed a little interested in that, but the other kids got loud and he retreated back to the books.

“That’s Justin. He doesn't like to play with us. I think it’s cause he’s a got a real dad and one day he won’t have to live here anymore.” Terrance told him as they cleaned up a deck of cards. It was missing half the numbers, but it still played Go Fish well enough. Rocky was going to get Justin out of his shell and interacting if it was the last thing he did.

\-------------------------------

He practically ran over after school the following Tuesday. He had homework, but it could wait. He had to see the kids. He’d spent all day thinking about them. He had a surprise tucked into his backpack, something he hoped would get Justin interacting with him, even if they weren't talking.

Mrs. O’Reilly tasked him with putting together three cribs that had been donated by a local family before he could do anything with the kids. He did it gladly, though he always kept his eye out for the shadow of the silent boy. Justin spent a lot of time hanging out in corners, but he didn't show that afternoon. Rocky did the dishes from lunch, helped some of the oldest kids cook dinner, and then served everybody himself. It was only after everything was cleaned up and the sun was setting that he finally found time to focus on Justin. 

“Want to play a game of chess?” he asked, holding out the old, beaten up box. He’d had to borrower it from his sister Maria, promising to be extra careful and bring it back as soon as the day was over. She loved that chess set. He could see the anticipation in Justin’s eyes, the desire to play, but he resisted. Justin shook his head and went back to his book, curling into the chair instead.

“Okay, that’s fine. I’ll just set it up over here on this table. I’m sure somebody will want to play.” Rocky said loudly. He began to setup the board. It didn't take long.

“I’ll play!” Clarissa called. She was nearly as old as he was. Her father was in jail for putting her mother in an early grave. This was the only place she had left, and she spoke openly of her troubles. She’d accepted her way of life a long time ago. He didn't let her see pity, though. Pity wouldn't help anything. He motioned for her to sit and they began. She trounced him, heartily, twice. 

“Not there! That’s a terrible move!” Justin called out from the corner. He clapped his hands over his mouth and his eyes grew as wide as saucers. Rocky didn't attempt to speak, just looked over at him and let his hand hover over different pieces. Justin nodded when Rocky found the right one. Before his next move, Rocky looked over at Justin. By the end of the game, Justin was standing over his shoulder, directing his every move. He won that round.

“Good game, Justin.” Clarissa said, shaking his hand as she stood and left the room.

“Hey! You were playing me!” Rocky called out with a smile in his voice. 

“No I wasn't!” she called out over her shoulder. They both chuckled.

“Want to play a game?” he asked Justin. He was still hovering. Justin eyed him critically.

“I don’t go for unfair fights,” he said and turned to head back to his book. Rocky wasn't going to let him go that easily.

“Want to teach me to play better, instead?” Justin stopped in his tracks and seemed to consider the offer. He practically skipped to the seat opposite Rocky and plopped down hard.

“I can do that.” He smiled. Rocky smiled back. 

\---------------------------------------------

He brought the chess board every visit. Sometimes they didn't get to play. Sometimes they played all afternoon. Rocky’s visits went from twice a week to three times a week, then three times a week plus full weekends. Eventually, they gave up the ghost of the chess game. Justin took part in any activity Rocky was working on, be it games or repairs. 

Once Justin became his shadow, Justin began to talk. Rocky learned everything, and what he didn't hear spoken, he was able to read between the lines. Justin was still reeling from the death of his mother, something Rocky understood only too well. It hadn't been that long ago that he’d lost his father, after all. Rocky still had an overly protective mother and a small army of brothers and sisters to mourn with him, to keep him busy, and to fill his life with love. Justin’s father had essentially abandoned him in his own pain. 

He also discovered that Justin was wicked smart. He learned so fast and seemed to see the solution before Rocky could fully understand the problem. It was nice having him along for repairs. He was able to fix things faster and better with Justin’s help.

“You remind me of my friend, Billy.” Rocky said one morning as he attempted to repair the dishwasher. Justin was sitting at his feet, the ancient manual in hand, as he tried to figure out what was causing the problem.

“Is that a good thing or bad?” Justin asked, handing over some new tubing Rocky had picked up at the hardware store the day before.

“It’s a good thing. He was a good guy. Really smart. Really nice, too. He lost his mom when he was little, just like you. And he was an only child, too.” Rocky yanked and the slimy grey piping slid out from it’s casing. It smelled foul and Rocky quietly gagged.

“Was?” Justin asked skeptically. “There, you need tape.” Justin pointed. Rocky nodded his acknowledgement and wrapped the end of the tube in the white waterproofing tape.

“He moved away. Graduated high school early and left for… college. I don’t get to talk to him much anymore.”

“Can’t you just call him?” Justin asked, handing over a wrench before Rocky even had to ask for it.

“He’s… really far away. Anyway, he’s probably too busy to talk to me. And I’m making new friends. Doing my own thing.” Rocky slid out from inside the dishwasher and wiped his hands on an old rag. Justin slid the casing back on and hooked it up to the waterline again.

“What about your old friends?” Justin asked. Rocky sighed. That was a sore subject of late.

“They’re still around. Just… doing their own thing, too, I guess. Some of them have girlfriends or boyfriends now. I don’t like being the third wheel.” Rocky rubbed the back of his neck and Justin made a clearly disgusted face. Rocky sometimes forgot he was only eleven.

“So you don’t have a girlfriend?” Justin asked tentatively.

“Girlfriend? No way! Girls have cooties.” Rocky laughed but Justin just rolled his eyes. “I've got a new friend named Jason. We didn't really get along at first, but we’re getting there. And there’s everybody here.” 

“We like you here. You should stay here all the time. You could work with Mrs. O’Reilly. You’d make a really good social worker.” Rocky had just turned the knob to start the dishwasher. He paused, listening to the hum and flow of the water and simultaneously thinking over what Justin had said. He’d like to stay at Little Angels Haven forever. There was so much work to be done, so much good that he could do. There were new kids in and out all the time. They needed help and he would give anything to be the one to help them. Maybe one day he’d even be able to help them before they had to go to a place like Little Angels Haven.

“I think I’d like that, Justin. I think I’d like that a lot.” The dishwasher sang in a steady rhythm, just as it should be. Maybe Rocky was just where he belonged, too.

\---------------------------------

The end of the month came and he was jumping at the chance to talk to his guidance counselor. He’d already spoken to Mrs. O’Reilly and she had provided him with more information than he could read in a month. He waited anxiously for his turn and when the previous student left, he ran in and didn't even sit down.

“I want to be a social worker! I have a mentor and a plan and I applied to Angel Grove University last night.” His guidance counselor smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that. You seem very happy with your decision.” Rocky beamed.

“I’m going to help people.” He left the office confident and happy. It had been months since he’d felt so sure of himself.

Rocky had a charity drive at this school and raised enough money to fix the leaky roof and fund operation for awhile, hopefully enough to keep it open and running. He bought tools and managed to talk to the local hardware store into donating an outdoor shed and the materials for a tree house. He even got the other rangers to volunteer sometimes. He planned to bus the whole population of Little Angels Haven to his martial arts tournament, another fundraising attempt to save the shelter, the following month.

Rocky spent his non-school and non-Rangering time at the floundering Little Angels. He fixed things. Mrs. O’Reilly said he fixed the kids. Rocky was pretty sure they had fixed him, instead.


End file.
